The number of eligible candidates for this season will grow when the award opens nominations in September. The complete list of candidates will be released on October 31. In early November, the Ray Guy Award committee will meet to select the ten semifinalists, who will be announced on November 16. A national body of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sports information directors, media representatives, and previous Ray Guy Award winners will then vote for the top three finalists to be announced on November 21. After the finalists are named, the voting body will cast ballots again to select the nation’s top punter. The winner will be announced live during TheHome Depot College Football Awards airing on ESPN on Thursday, December 7, 2017.

2017 Ray Guy Award Pre-Season Watch List:

Derek Adams (So.), Kent State

Jake Bailey (Jr.), Stanford,

Matt Bonadies (Jr.), Middle Tennessee

Bailey Cate (So.), Old Dominion

A.J. Cole III (Jr.), North Carolina State

Jake Collins (RS Jr.), WKU

Logan Cooke (Sr.), Mississippi State

Steven Coutts (So.), California

Trevor Daniel (RS Sr.), Tennessee

Joseph Davidson (RS Sr.), Bowling Green

Michael Dickson (Jr.), Texas

Colin Downing (Sr.), Iowa State

Corey Fatony (Jr.), Missouri

Blake Gillikin (So.), Penn State

Jonathan Hernandez (Sr.), USF

Logan Laurent (RS Sr.), Massachusetts

Wade Lees (So.), Maryland

Johnny Linehan (Sr.), BYU

Adam Nunez (So.), TCU

Nick Porebski (Sr.), Oregon State

JK Scott (Sr.), Alabama

Austin Seibert (Jr.), Oklahoma

Tom Sheldon (So.), North Carolina

Zach Sinor (RS Jr.), Oklahoma State

Spencer Smith (RS Sr.), Memphis

Chris Tilbey (RS Jr.), USC

Johnny Townsend (RS Sr.), Florida

Shane Tripucka (Sr.), Texas A&M

Mitch Wishnowsky (Jr.), Utah

About the Ray Guy Award
The Augusta Sports Council created the Ray Guy Award in 2000 to honor Thomson, Georgia native and College and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Ray Guy. Among the statistics used to identify the winner is net punting average, number of times punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents 20-yard line, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned with particular emphasis placed on net punting average. The winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team’s success.

About the Augusta Sports Council
The Augusta Sports Council (ASC) enriches the quality of life and economic well-being for the Augusta metropolitan area by supporting and attracting sporting activities. To learn more, visit www.augustasportscouncil.org.

About the National College Football Awards Association

The Ray Guy Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 22 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935. Visit ncfaa.org to learn more about our story.

The members of the NCFAA are unveiling their preseason watch lists over a two-week period this month. Sixteen of the association’s 23 awards select a preseason watch list and the NCFAA has spearheaded a coordinated effort to promote each award’s preseason candidates. Following is the complete 2017 preseason watch list calendar: